Three to One
by Laura Ann Yates
Summary: Three times Castle gives her a hershey's chocolate kiss and one time he gives her the real deal. Set within the first episodes of season 5 and can be considered a partner fic to 'This Is It'.


**I'm back! I got this idea when I was sat watching ****_Doctor Who_**** with a packet of Hershey's kisses. This is my first time attempting this 'three times it happened and one time it didn't' kinda thing so let me know what you think and whether you think I should do more.**

**The last part follows directly on from my other fic ****_This Is It_****. It's not pertinent that you read it but it might make things make sense if you do.**

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_**Disclaimer:**__ Anything that you recognise from the show doesn't belong to me, however much I may want it to._

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The first time it happens he brings me a latte. I see him return from the break room with the porcelain white cup and saucer balanced in one hand while his other hand roots around in the pocket of his trousers for an item unknown. I keep hunched over my desk, keeping up the pretence that I'm deep in my paperwork and I hadn't even noticed he'd left to fix me another shot of caffeine. When in reality, my body is tuned to his every move. When he is near, when his hand innocently brushes mine as he hands me my daily coffee, every nerve ending tingles and I feel myself wanting to just reach out and caress any bare skin that I can access without drawing attention to the change in our relationship.

I follow his path from the break room to his chair beside my desk out of the corner of my eye. I chew the end of my pen and draw back into my mind, recalling all the delicious things he did to me this morning. The way his lips caressed every inch of my skin, they way his fingers followed as if he was committing it all to memory, so he could close his eyes and imagine my naked form in any position at any point during the day, so he could tease me endlessly, regaling me with all the ways he would pleasure me once we were alone.

He reaches my desk and he pauses for a second before placing the steaming cup on top of the report I'm supposed to be writing. I look up at him and offer him the smile he knows is reserved just for him, the same smile I have given him every morning for the past 4 years. I mutter "Thanks, Castle." Knowing the innocent gesture will have to suffice until we are alone and I can show him just how thankful I am.

I reach out to take the cup in my hands, to cradle it between my fingers and soak up it's warmth before taking a sip of the liquid. As I do, a small, silver wrapped object falling to the middle of the saucer catches my eye. I pause with the rim just a breath away from my lips and eye the sweet cautiously. _Where did that come from?_ "What's this Castle?" I ask him, knowing he is the only one, besides me, to have handled this cup and saucer.

"A kiss."

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The second time it happens I'm at the precinct, watching the seconds tick by as I wait for the clock to strike 5, praying with everything I have to every God I know that a body won't drop before I can escape for a weekend of luxury with him.

I startle slightly as I hear his voice behind me "T-minus 1 minute and counting."

I turn to face him "Castle, what are you doing here?" _Does he never listen?_ "You were supposed to wait around the corner so that nobody would see us."

"I know, but I thought it'd be fun to be here with you when the clock strikes 5." I catch the glint in his eye and I know he's up to something. "Plus, I wanted to give you something before we left."

"What is it Castle?" I'm annoyed and he knows this.

"A kiss."

At his words I erupt. _What the hell is he thinking?_ "Are you trying to get me fired?"

"N-no, no. I mean a chocolate kiss." He begins to explain, picking the hershey's chocolate off my desk and holding it out in front of me. "I figured that since I can't give you the real thing, this would have to suffice; just keep the wrappers and I'll know how many I owe you when we get home."

The smile on my face could light up a room. I knew he could be sweet but this is almost sickly. "That's so sweet, Castle."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now come on, it's past 5, let's get out of here before anyone really does catch us." He helps me into my coat and we make a dash for the elevator, the doors closing as she slips her hand into his.

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The third time it happens we are on our way up to a crime scene. I find the chocolate sweet hidden in the depths of my coat pocket amongst my latex gloves.

"Alexis came home this morning." He tells me as we enter the building.

"Yeah? She miss her daddy?" I tease him. I know how true my words are, many a night he has told me how he misses their spontaneous laser tag battles, how he misses their lazy sundays taking walks in the park and trying to beat the other at making the biggest ice cream sundays. I know I can never replace that part of him, but my heart beats and I do everything I can to bring him back to himself, to make him realise that she isn't gone forever, that even though the possibility of her ever moving back in with him is very a small one, she is and always will be his little girl.

"Not so much. She was back 10 minutes and she'd cleaned me out of ice cream and orange juice. She'd only come home to use the washing machine."

"Well, she home at least, right?" We step off the elevator and make our way down the corridor to where I can see uniformed officers milling about taking witness statements and CSU collecting evidence.

"Yeah, I just wish it was for more than just… laundry and supplies."

I reach into my coat pocket to pull out my gloves. As I grasp the latex, my fingers brush a material that is becoming more and more familiar. I grab both and pull them out, holding the gloves in one hand and settling the small, foil wrapped treat in the palm of my other hand. I come to a stop and turn to face the man next to me. "Another? Really?"

He just shrugs at me and smiles. I know I'm going to find more. I roll my eyes at him and pop the chocolate in my mouth, savouring the rich flavour. "Anyway, did you get some writing done?"

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The one time he doesn't give me a chocolate kiss is the following day.

With Tessa's body down in Lanie's morgue, and Ryan and Esposito hovering by their desks trying to pretend that they hadn't just been eavesdropping, I follow Castle out of Gates' office and close the door behind me.

I begin to make my way over to the murder board so I can make a start on figuring out where to go next in solving this girl's murder. I only manage a couple of steps before I feel his fingers wrap around my wrist and pull me back into his body. Before I can protest, his lips come down on mine and for a moment I freeze. This should not be happening, not in the middle of the precinct. _What happened to slipping me a Hershey's?_ I feel his tongue start to caress my lips and I forget why we shouldn't be doing this. I part my lips and allow him entry. Before we can get too carried away, I hear a voice clearing behind us. He pulls away from me and we both turn to see Ryan and Esposito stood with smirks on their faces. "Care to explain?" Ryan asks.

I smile at them both and turn to make my way to the murder board. I look over my shoulder and say "Not really."


End file.
